Photo pioneer Roy Meyer dies at 68
Wichita color photography pioneer Roy Meyer, who also helped shaped the outdoor portrait movement that began in the 1970s, died Wednesday from complications of multiple myeloma.
Mr. Meyer, former owner of Meyer and Williams Photography with partner Dale Williams, was one of the first photographers in the country to go all-color in his studio while other photographers still shot in black and white, Williams said.
Mr. Meyer also had the foresight to build a solarium — complete with a waterfall — in the back of his old studio at 13th and West, making the business the go-to place for high school portraits, as well as weddings, team photos and family pictures.
“I would say, in our heyday, we did probably at least 80 percent of the seniors in the area around here, probably for 30 to 50 miles around,” said Williams, who was Mr. Meyer’s partnerfrom 1974 to 1982.
Mr. Meyer, whose friends and family say was an enthusiastic entrepreneur always looking for opportunities to teach, promote or expand, at one time operated seven studios around the state.
In his “down time,” his family said with a laugh, he attended Friends University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in human resource management and then a master’s degree in management.
But it was his love of photography that drove him, said Margie Meyer, his wife of 43 years. They married in 1965, about six months after Mr. Meyer photographed her and her then-fiance.
“Oh, he had a great personality — and his blond hair and blue eyes…” Margie Meyer said.
She worked in the studio with him for most of his career, she said.
“It was a busy life, but he wasn’t the type of person who ever got crabby. He was just a nice person, well-rounded and a friend to everybody,” she said. “When you work with each other, then you come home with each other, you have to be friends.”
Perhaps most remarkable was Mr. Meyer’s energy and drive, even in the face of illness, his family said.
When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Mr. Meyer sold his studio but continued to consult. Even while undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, he worked a full schedule, his family said.
He recently wrote a brief autobiography for his 50-year high school reunion, his family said. In it, he shared what he’d learned in the past few years:
“The hardest thing to deal with has been the results of having cancer. The challenge and devotion that Margie goes through is outstanding…. When it comes down to what is really important, it is about family and friends and the faith that holds it all together. Always be content and take things as they come even if it is something that cannot be changed.”
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Westlink Christian Church, 2001 N. Maize Road.
Mr. Meyer also is survived by his daughters, Dana Barrientos of Wichita and Lori Williams of Halstead; brothers Kenneth of Washington and Carl of Shawnee; and six grandchildren.
Reach Andi Atwater at 316-268-6642 or aatwater@wichitaeagle.com.
BY ANDI ATWATER
Categorized as:Nature Photography News Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.